Tea Bath Bombs

Fancy bath bombs are all the rage, but can run you up to $8 per deliciously-scented orb! Skip store-bought bath bombs this year and make your own. We love this green tea bath bomb recipe from Smells That Smile that would be even better with Art of Tea’s Sencha. Don’t limit yourself to green tea, though. White tea and black tea make for great bath bomb ingredients, too. Experiment with different teas and blends to get a bath bomb that smells just like your favorite cup of tea. You can also use spherical ice cube molds – or any large, shaped candy mold – to jazz up these perfect stocking stuffers.

Sugar Scrubs with Tea

At Art of Tea, we suggest that you don’t add sugar to your tea. But we never said anything about adding tea to your sugar! Sugar scrubs are a fragrant and luxurious gift you can easily make, too. Packaged in adorable (and easy-to-decorate) jars, DIY sugar scrubs are the perfect project for a gift-giver with a giant list of friends and family. We suggest batch-making this simple green tea sugar scrub recipe from blogger Live Simply. Like the bath bombs, you can stick with green tea or explore other fragrances using different teas and tisanes. We think Hibiscus Cooler would make for a great sugar scrub base, too!

Tea-Flavored Lip Balm

Finally, help your loved ones protect their lips in dry, wintry weather with lip balm made from your favorite teas. This recipe for Green Pomegranate lip balm from Great Contradictions can be batch-made, just like the sugar scrubs. One thing to note is that this recipe uses pre-bagged tea from the grocery store, which largely consists of fannings and brews differently. We suggest disregarding the suggested steep times in this recipe and relying on Art of Tea’s steeping directions instead. That way, you’ll avoid over-astringent or bitter flavors. If you’re looking to mix up this recipe, try using White Coconut Creme instead of green tea. The coconut flavors will go perfectly with the coconut oil and our White Coconut Creme blend’s fragrance is intoxicating!

Even if you decide to shop for gifts this year instead of taking the DIY-route, we highly suggest trying these recipes out yourself. You might find that the key ingredient to your favorite beauty project has been in your pantry all along!

Did you know that you could use tea to potentially improve your health without actually drinking it?

The crazy thing is that the tea leaf is so chock-full of healthy antioxidants that its healing powers can be tapped into without even ingesting it!

How? Here are a few ways you might have never even considered.

1. Bathe In It

What’s more relaxing than tea? A warm bath, maybe.

What if you could combine the two?

Adding six to eight bags of green tea to hot bath water is a great way to take advantage of your tea bags without sipping it. All you have to do is add the tea bags to your bath about 30 minutes before you are ready to get in. Just be sure to fill the tub with water hotter than you want it to be when you want to actually get in — that way, the tea will steep better and it will still be warm after you wait.

This stress-relieving bath will help soothe any aching muscles you may have as well as any skin conditions or open wounds. The vitamins in green tea can also help to keep your skin soft and youthful-looking.

To make this an extra special experience, try lighting some candles and putting on your favorite relaxing music: You’ll feel like a new person in no time at all.

2. Relieve Tired, Puffy Eyes

Lack of sleep, stress, sickness, and hangovers can make your eyes look sleepy.

Once again, tea is here to save the day.

All you have to do is steep two green or black tea bags in hot water for about five minutes. Squeeze out all the water from the tea bags then place them in the fridge for about 15 minutes (or until they are nice and cool).

Then, find a relaxing spot to lay down with your face up and place the cooled tea bags over your eyes. Make sure to cover the area under eye (as that is the usual source of most puffiness). In 15 – 30 minutes, take off the tea bags to reveal beautiful and sparkling eyes.

3. Make A Mouthwash

While tea may be your taste bud’s best friend, peppermint tea can be a great friend to your entire mouth for a number of reasons.

Brewed with a teaspoon of salt, peppermint tea can be used as a mouthwash to disinfect your gums, freshen your breath, and even help relieve any pain from toothaches. (You can also place the tea bags directly to the affected area for a more targeted pain reliever.)

4. Treat Acne And Soften Wrinkles

All you need is a paper towel and some cool green tea: Soak the paper towel in tea and squeeze out any extra. Then, lie down and apply the cool towel to your face, pressing around the curves and into the crevices.

Rest the towel on your face and allow the tea to absorb into your skin. Do this for about 20 minutes. The antioxidants can help keep your skin looking youthful and help balance the hormones that cause acne.

5. Wash, Rinse, Repeat

As you saw, you can bathe in tea and reap the benefits. But that’s not all tea can do for you during your bath or shower…

For example, you can use green tea with castile soap and olive oil to make a shampoo for your hair. You can even jazz it up with some sweet smelling jasmine or rose petals!

You can also add green tea to coconut oil, avocado, and honey for a deep conditioning mask for your hair. Just allow it to set for a couple of hours or overnight. (You can use green tea as a finishing rinse for your scalp, too.)

The next time you feel like cozying up with a nice warm cup of tea, don’t forget about all the different ways you can use it without drinking it.

As an old Chinese proverb says: “Better a week without food, than a day without tea.”